A few years ago I got to thinking ‘Just where does all the food I eat come from’. The easy answer was a farm. But then I started to read more about the food industry in the US and in the developed world in general. That’s when I realized that not only is my food grown globally, but it might not be done in the most sustainable way, and actually be in some cases detrimental to the development of some communities.
In fact most meat and produce in the US is either raised on corporate farms or shipped in from farms in developing countries. These farms are not always regulated in terms of environmental sustainability but also in terms of their social impact. Rarely is there fair wage enforcement, even in the US or much thought given to the impact on fragile ecosystems. The more I read the more upset I became with myself and my blind support of this industry. So I decided that I would become vegetarian as meat production has the highest negative environmental impact of the foods I ate (mostly through deforestation and methane production), and for the produce I do buy, try to at least buy from local farms in my area whenever possible.
I decided to go cold turkey and just start being full on veggie, not an easy task for a girl who grew up eating chicken every night for dinner and bacon for Sunday brunch. But after some experimentation and a lot of talking to farmers at the farmers market, I learned which ‘new’ vegetables and fruits would become part of my diet. Four and a half years later I am still vegetarian and still discovering new flavors and yummy recipes to try.
Mark Kennet says
I couldn’t agree more. I would add, though, that as I have said elsewhere on this blog – eating vegetarian also has food safety benefits in third world countries. While one can get traveler’s diarrhea under any circumstances, sticking to a vegetarian diet will significantly reduce your chances of anything worse happening to you, especially if you are meticulous about cleaning your veggies.
Becka says
So true Mark! More the reason to eat vegetarian, especially while traveling!
Cathy Sweeney says
Good for you on 4-1/2 yrs. as a vegetarian! I’m not there, but do eat a lot less meat than I did several years ago. You do bring up very good points — definitely thinking about them. My husband has been a vegetarian since before I even knew him, so you’d think I’d follow his example ….
Becka says
Hey Cathy, Thanks for the encouragement! Honestly I think starting slow is be best way, ease into it. Once you get into the rhythm and know some tricks on how to get restaurants to ‘adapt’ to the diet its not so bad, plus you are basically 1/2 way there with decreased consumption.
Christy @ Ordinary Traveler says
Wow.. that is amazing. Great job. I would love some tips on recipes to cook. Maybe a post about it?
Becka says
Great Idea Christy! Keep reading this site, perhaps this will be posted soon!
Sailor says
This is indeed true. Since me and my American wife moved to India where most people are vegetarian we hardly eat meat. It feels so good in the belly. The last picture featured here looks very familiar. We love to eat the Indian Tali. And on weekends when we are full time home we make our own salad and eat for lunch and dinner.
Barbara says
Wow, I’ve never heard anyone give those reasons for vegetarianism before.
I have heard an argument that Australia shouldn’t farm cloven-hoofed animals because of the destruction their hoofs cause to the environment, especially around water. However, farmers say you can’t farm kangaroos (because they’d jump over the fences), which is the suggested alternative.
I don’t eat red meat. I just don’t like it. I was a vegetarian for many years but then it got too difficult… and I really missed prawns.
Kudos to you for taking a stand and sticking to it.
inka says
I don’t need any convincing, I’m a vegeatraina since a long time and, like you, discover new variataions, recipeies and yummy things all the time. I feel fit and healthy and when I see a butcher, I avert my eyes. All that naked, drippuing meat makes me want to throw up.
robin says
I’m not a vegetarian but living with one my meat intake has gone down considerably. I might eat it twice a week or something.
I can’t stand the thought of how most chicken is produced in developed countries so I don’t eat that at all.
People will draw their lines in the sand in different places and there is always the risk of sanctimony if one is too evangelical about it – the arguments about production and employment are complex, not simple.
But I do think it’s important to be thoughtful to some degree about what be buy and eat.
Raymond @ Man On The Lam says
I was vegetarian for a year, but went back to meat…I missed chicken too much. (Sad, I know)
Good for you though for going cold mock-turkey!
Jeremy Branham says
I can’t do it. I probably don’t eat enough veggies as it is but I do eat my share. I am not a huge fan of meat. I love chicken and turkey though but I rarely eat red meat. So it’s not like I am a big meat eater. Yeah, I understand some of the conditions these animals live in aren’t ideal. I console myself in two ways – chicken and turkeys are hard to abuse and they taste good! 🙂
Christy @ Technosyncratic says
I was a vegetarian through most of college and then a few years after, but about two years ago I started eating meat again. Neither my partner or I really know how to cook it, so we mostly just cook simple fish or chicken breast or order it when eating out. One of the things that was really hard about being vegetarian was finding meat-free foods when we went backpacking in Europe after college. Because we were in countries where we didn’t speak the language, we stuck with safe choices…. which meant we ate a bunch of plain pasta and margarita pizza. I wish we had been able to explore the food more!
James Cook says
Great Post. I am a vegetarian at home but when I am eating out I still eat meat. I tried to cut it out completly but wasn’t able to. I am going to try harder though!
Jillian says
Later this week we’re going to have a post on eating vegetarian away from home. Would love your insight on what works/doesn’t work for you. Stay tuned!